Jewish Home MKs Boycott Gov't Function to Protest Amona Delay

Jerusalem, 15 March, 2017 (TPS) -- Members of the National Union faction of the Jewish Home party, headed by Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel and MK Bezalel Smotrich, said they would boycott a team-building event for coalition members Wednesday to protest a lack of movement on a promise by Prime Miniser Binyamin Netanyahu to authorize a new settlement for former residents of the Amona outpost.

Amona residents were evicted from their homes and the community razed last month after a lengthy court battle. The High Court of Justice accepted a petition by the left-wing Yesh Din organization on behalf of a Palestinian family that Amona was built on privately-owned land.

In a statement Wednesday, Ariel and Smotrich said “we cannot celebrate or party with the coalition when our brothers and sisters from Amona continue to wallow in appalling conditions and the Prime Minister refuses to honor his promise to build them a new community.”

Amona residents praised the MKs decision and called on other right-wing parliamentarians to follow suit.

“While we have been on a hunger strike for the past 14 days opposite the Prime Minister’s residence, after two months of living in dormitory conditions mourning the demolition of our community and waiting for the government to make a decision [about building a new settlement for us], the Prime Minister his holding gala receptions and celebrations for his friends instead of worrying about honoring his most basic commitments and immediately approving the creation of a new community for people that he evicted from the homes they lived in for 20 years.

“Where is the shame?” the residents said.